After our great adventures in Arizona, it was time to head East on Interstate 40 to Albuquerque, where we would attend the International Balloon Fiesta for a second year in a row. What a treat! This year was different, however, as we attended as part of an Airstream rally and there were 145 Airstreams in attendance. What a blast. For both years, we had the great fortune of camping right next to the launch field - last year it was in the North lot and this year it was on the other side in the West lot.
We arrived to Albuquerque on Wednesday and stayed at a nearby campground for 2 nights before going into the Fiesta. This year, we decided to go up in a hot air balloon and we did so on Thursday - 2 days before the Fiesta started - and it was a third of the cost to go up during the Fiesta. We went with our friends Dave and Linda, who are friends through the South Florida Airstream Club. We also spent time with them in Minot, ND at the international rally and also in Custer, SD - our magical night at Mt. Rushmore. As we mentioned in the last post, Arizona and New Mexico got a ton of rain from the Pacific hurricanes - just before the Fiesta started. We were so blessed as the rain was behind us and we had the perfect morning to go up, up, and away!
Another state crossing - and going by another train . . .
Rise and shine - we had to check into our balloon ride at 6:15am.
Because of all the rain, we did not launch from the balloon fiesta field as it was too wet. Instead, we were driven to a nearby mall and launched in front of Dillards!
There were probably about 15 balloons total launching around the mall.
In the gondola and getting ready to go! There were 14 of us total and our pilot was Jon. The "basket" was divided into 4 sections so the 4 of us were in 1 section together.
Keeping the air in the balloon good and hot
And we're off!
The Rio Grande river - the rain filled it back up with water as it had been very dry.
Downtown Albuquerque in the background, along with the other balloons.
Nice to see others commuting to work as we floated above!
My favorite photo of the day - taken by Paul's GoPro!
Before we landed, Jon (the pilot) prepared us for 2 scenarios - one where the basket would stay upright and one where the basket would slowly go on its side. We experienced scenario #2 and all of us got in a fit of giggles, especially Linda! I felt so bad because I was lying down on Paul and trying so hard to hang on so I wouldn't squish him!
Time to get out - pretty impossible to do that gracefully!
Jon pouring champagne for us - a tradition in hot air ballooning started in France. In the early days of ballooning in France they always carried a bottle for the land owner as a token of appreciation. As you can imagine, a balloon falling out of the sky in the 1800's was quite a spectacle.
With the ground crew - awesome people and very hard workers
With Jon - a great guy and an awesome pilot. Overall, we were super impressed with Rainbow Riders and our experience - they did an awesome job.
The two nights before we spent at a groovy campground called Enchanted Trails - it was about 20 minutes from the balloon fiesta and about 60 of the Airstreams stayed here as well. They had some very cool retro RV's and cars on display and we really enjoyed our time there.
1950 Hudson Sedan and a 1954 Vakashunette trailer
A Christmas tree of hubcaps!
Pronghorns grazing in a field behind the campground - note the Amazon warehouse in the background.
The next morning, it was go time! Getting 145 Airstreams in the parking lot within a 2-hour time frame (9-11am) required a lot of orchestration. Our hosts, Jan and Richard, and a team of volunteers did a great job organizing and as 10 of us wanted to be near each other, we staged a short distance from the campground and followed each other in.
Staging and getting ready to go!
Our "neighborhood"
Heading into the lot . . .
Setting up camp - they asked us to disconnect, but not move the tow vehicle until everyone did it at once. All went well and we were settled in a reasonable amount of time.
The Fiesta didn't start until Saturday morning, so some fun low key relaxing time with our friends (old and new) on Friday evening.
We were super blessed as on all four mornings we were there, the balloons flew. They didn't go up the morning after we left - talk about lucky timing! For those who read this post last year, a lot of photos were taken - too many - but you really just can't help yourself! I will start with a time-lapse that Paul did on our second morning there - it was ideal as the balloons flew right over our parking lot . . . truly magical.
Here is an assortment of photos throughout our time there - enjoy!
This was taken by one of our Airstreamers who went up in a balloon one morning - it gives a great perspective of the launch field and all the Airstreams in the parking lot - we were right there!
Each morning starts off with a drone show at 5:45am - truly incredible!
Dawn Patrol - 8 balloons go up at 6:00am so they can give an idea to the other pilots what the winds are doing. This also is a time when they determine whether or not they will all fly.
Dawn Patrol from our Airstream . . .
For the first day, they did two flyovers - very cool.
Flyover #2
So many balloons . . . so many colors . . . so much joy!
Krispy Kreme is a sponsor - we felt compelled to support them . . .
With our friends Dave and Linda - also supporting Krispy Kreme!
The biggest two balloons - the cow and the cement truck - remarkable!
Back at the Airstream - balloons still continue to fly over . . .
On weekend nights, they present an evening glow - the balloons don't go in the air, but all stay on the ground and hit their propane burners at the same time - so beautiful in the twilight hours.
All the Airstreams lined up in the parking lot in the early morning.
Paul setting up the GoPro for the amazing time lapse above.
At 6:55am, they do Opening Ceremonies where one balloon goes up with the American flag and the National Anthem is sung by a local vocalist. They ask children to hold the flag so it doesn't hit the ground and it's truly a magical and heartwarming experience - my favorite part of the whole day!
The Zebras control the flow of the field and when balloons inflate and ascend. On top of that, they're super nice people and always have fun whimsical components as part of their attire - this one had a small stuffed zebra on his waist - so fun!
Last morning - it was so amazing
With our Airstream friends on the last morning.
Taken by one of our Airstream friends - the cow jumping over the moon!!!
Gotta love the red chilis - very New Mexican!
Last photo . . . taken from inside our Airstream as we get ready to depart.
It was now time to start our trek eastward and work our way back to Naples. We departed Albuquerque around 9:30am MT and arrived in Amarillo, TX around 4pm CT. We did this last year as well - we stayed at the Big Texan RV Resort and had a delicious dinner at the Big Texan Steak Ranch. This year, Dave and Linda joined us and it was a blast. When we went last year, nobody was participating in the 72 oz steak challenge - you have to eat a 72 oz steak, a dinner roll, salad, baked potato, and three fried shrimp - if all is consumed within 1 hour, the dinner is FREE! This year, we witnessed 3 people attempting it, which was great fun - and even more fun that Freddy from Philadelphia WON! As luck would have it, his family was right next to our table and our waitress was his waitress, so it was hilarious to cheer him on. Our waitress - Deana - was awesome - she has worked there for over 20 years and she was cheering Freddy on as much as we were. At one point, however, she was very concerned as he was getting close to the end and had not yet eaten his baked potato. Deana - with all seriousness - says "I'm a little concerned about the potato - I tried to find him the smallest one I could find." In the end, he prevailed and it was so fun to be part of it. On top of that, the meal was great - excellent food and service - and we wouldn't hesitate to recommend this place to anyone!
My favorite photo of the night - Deana taking a selfie with my camera - she was so hilarious!
There's Freddy at the table doing the challenge - you can see the time clock in red and the kitchen right behind him.
Another guy joined him - we're not sure if he completed it or not - we don't think so.
Us with Freddy - way to go!!!
It's hard to see in this photo, but we are around a large cowboy boot!
This isn't the greatest photo, but I had to include. We are with Larry - our shuttle driver - who took us from the campground to the restaurant. He was our shuttle driver last year too and to say he is a character is an understatement. He was a great driver, but even a better comedian. Very entertaining!
We'll be back . . . a great stop along the road!
We left Amarillo and started heading to Oklahoma. On this night, we spent the evening at Route 66 Bowl in Chandler, OK - just east of OK City. It was a Harvest Host, so we dry camped in the parking lot and enjoyed some bowling, games and dinner. A very cool spot!
As we were departing Amarillo, we stopped at Buc-ees - gas prices were very reasonable so we took advantage.
Got our beverages and we're ready to go!
We bowled and had a ball - how about those bowling shoes???
Paul displayed excellent form!
. . . and Paul kicked my butt! I was terrible, but had a great time!
This is a true Route 66 icon - opened as a bowling alley in 1959 and the retro decor - inside and out - was a lot of fun.
It was a great night and time to continue East. We are now in Bentonville, Arkansas and are thoroughly enjoying our time here! More on that in the next post.
As always, we so appreciate your love and support and following along . . . XOXO, Jen & Paul
